Batman vs. Thrawn

[sun_tzu]

So far, we've got a zillion threads pitting Batman against powerfull oponents. Most posters (myself included) agree that Batman wins thanks to brain-over-brawn. Which leads me to the following:
Batman vs. Thrawn.

Now, to be fair, Thrawn doesn't get an armada of Imperial Star Destroyers. That would make him a job for the JLA. Instead, let's drop him in Gotham with a few soldiers loyal to him, acting as his gang (hey, if Gotham's underworld can accept Two-Face, it can accept a blue guy with red eyes).
So, can Thrawn take over the city, or does Batman stop him?
Personally, I say "close fight, but for once, Batman meets his match when Thrawn proves a better strategist than him".

[Piedmon_Sama]

Even if you allow Thrawn time to set up his criminal empire (not the likeliest prospect: Batman has Gotham's underworld monitored through his assumed "Matches Malone" persona), I doubt he'd prove much more of a match for Batman than any of a number of talented and ruthless individuals who came before.

[kendrama]

It all depends on how hard it is for him to get a glimpse of Batman's art collection. :D I think that once Thrawn figured out his secret identity, he might actually have a pretty good shot at taking him down. I mean, doesn't his whole technique revolve around his near-miraculous ability to anticipate his opponents' moves? And he does that by psychoanalyzing each one, so it stands to reason that his first priority would have to be finding out what makes them tick.

Of course, there's a certain unavoidable consequence to Thrawn's technique, and that's the fact that he needs at least a little time to observe his opponent. If Batman got any warning during that observation period, then Thrawn had better bring those Star Destroyers along after all.

[sun_tzu]

Even if you allow Thrawn time to set up his criminal empire (not the likeliest prospect: Batman has Gotham's underworld monitored through his assumed "Matches Malone" persona), I doubt he'd prove much more of a match for Batman than any of a number of talented and ruthless individuals who came before.

I can't honestly think of any among them who was half as talented as Thrawn...

[Rex_Hondo]

Well, one of the factors would definitely be the composition of Thrawn's forces. If it consists of naval troops and stormtroopers, they'd pose little physical threat to Batman. If Thrawn has some of his Noghri, on the other hand...

Also, how quickly does word get out that there's a new guy in town? If Batman gets the first move and manages to track down Thrawn's headquarters, he's very likely be able to take the Grand Admiral down in a physical confrontation. If Thrawn gets the first move, however, he'd very likely be able to discern his inevitable foe's true identity, as others have done before, and direct a preemptive strike at Wayne Manor and the Batcave. (Ideally with a Noghri commando force, but with heavily armed Stormtroopers if necessary)

[totalnerduk]

Thrawn will win, assuming that he has his noghri assasins handy.

[Nerd-o-rama]

I agree with giving Thrawn a gang of (loyal) Noghri rather than stormtroopers; they're a much better match for Bats in a stand-up fight.

Hmm...I'm not totally sure on this one. The Thrawn fanboy in me says that once the Grand Admiral gets a feel for Batman's personality and motivations - and certainly if he ever figured out his secret identity and backstory - Thrawn would be able to thwart any of Batman's attempts to stop him, even if he still couldn't take him in a fight.

Then my common sense kicks in and tells me that Thrawn is a strategic military genius, and interstellar naval combat expertise is a pretty far cry from street crime. Thrawn might just be out of his league in the bad part of Gotham with a bunch of thugs (even Noghri thugs) as his only support.

Now, as for the proposed JLA vs. Thrawn's fleet of Star Destroyers, Thrawn wins handily as long as he has access to some Kryptonite or a Dark Jedi (Force powers count as magic for hurting Superman, right?)

[turkishproverb]

Gotta keep in mind, it was smugglers that caused a lot of Thrawns problems to begin with. I'm betting the other criminals would cause him some trouble.

A mroe important questions: HOw would it be batman vs. Thrawn?